Review Summary: A glimpse into the heart of Appalachia.
Ahhhhh the refreshing smell of new black metal in the air. It's glorious my friends. You can find those little gems in every nook and cranny if you find the time to do it. The Blood Mountain Black Metal Choir is a one man black metal band from North Carolina and he represents (from what I’ve gathered) a lost generation of hard working, blue collar coal miners digging their hearts out deep in the Appalachia and the music DEFINITELY reflects that notion.
Folklore is the perfect title for TBMBMC’s first demo. The snow covered hills and the dingy cottage on the album cover perfectly depict the sound within this demo. This is raw , crust punk influenced black metal at its core, with lofi production quality, tortured raspy shrieks and the static sound of the buzzsaw riffs looming large over the demo. But it isn’t just a raw black metal demo. There’s plenty of blackgaze and folk influences present at all times. The sweeping riffs will whisk you away to the highest epic mountaintop. Acoustics and banjos will ring in your ear leaving you feeling like you’re drinking a tall IPA in some run down, incest infested bar deep in the hills of West Virginia.
You get nothing but authenticity from
Folklore. TBMBMC brings the anarchy of crust punk, the darkness of black metal and the uplifting melodies of folk music and marries them to perfection. For being a demo clocking in under 20 minutes, it sure makes a quick and heavy impact, making the blends of all the different styles even more impressive. The biggest and most obvious influence here is Panopticon, especially his more recent stuff. But make no mistake, TBMBMC is no copycat. He’s starting off making his own imprint on this style of black metal and I am very much looking forward to seeing what this project puts out in the future!
